“Every day, I get to get up and come to a job that I love,” said Fisk, a social studies teacher at New America School in Las Cruces. On Oct. 30, Fisk was named New Mexico Charter School Teacher of the Year by the New Mexico Coalition for Charter School. She was nominated for the honor by her colleague, fellow social studies teacher Roberta Stathis.

“Mrs. Fisk was one of the first teachers that I hired when New America School opened, four years ago,” said Principal Margarita Porter. “When she began, she was working very part-time. We had a teacher leave, and so I asked her if she would work full-time with us.”

Before arriving at New America, Fisk taught for two years at Mayfield High School. During a round of budget cuts, Fisk was laid off.

“My husband was deployed to Afghanistan at the time. When I lost my job, it was devastating,” she recalled. Fisk is married to Sgt. Maj. William Fisk, who recently retired from the U.S. Army.

“Everyone kept telling me, ‘When one door closes, another door opens.’ And then I read in the newspaper that this job was open. This experience has been a blessing. I’ve told my principal so many times, ‘You’re going to have to drag me out.’ I’m so happy here.”

In September, Fisk was also recognized by NGage New Mexico, an educational nonprofit, as a “Champion of Education.” She also was awarded a plaque by Mayor Ken Miyagishima.

I’m a storyteller

“High school, for me, was a very difficult time,” Fisk said, sitting in her classroom before her first class arrived on Wednesday. “I didn’t do well in school. I had teachers who I could tell didn’t like their job, and that set the tone for the whole classroom.”

Fisk said she decided long ago that her primary job is to create a learning environment that encourages her students.

“First and foremost, I try to relate to the students, show each student that they can achieve whatever they set their mind to, and really believe in them,” she said. “But I’m a storyteller. And that really lends itself to history, because if I can put it in a story — and make it relatable to things that happen in their lives every day — they take an interest in it. I think a good teacher is a good storyteller.”

Fisk said that she tries to use hands-on activities as frequently as she can, to help keep students engaged.

“Sometimes I’m accused of being an art teacher,” she said. “Because I think that there are many, many ways to show your understanding of a subject that go far beyond just taking a test. Quite often, students are creating posters or presenting commercials or news broadcasts — things that show they have an understanding of the material.”

Fisk said she teaches about 120 students each day, and they range in age from 15 to 56.

Irwin Adame, a 19-year-old junior, is in Fisk’s class.

“She’s really cool. She gets along with every student,” Adame said. “Honestly, she’s the best teacher I’ve ever had. She’ll help you with anything.”

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(Photo: Jett Loe / Sun-News)

A tight ship

“In my six years of teaching, I can count on one hand the number of students I’ve had to send to the principal’s office,” Fisk said. “I like to handle business myself, and I think you give up control when you’re constantly sending students to someone else to handle. My students and I have a mutual respect for each other, and I don’t have to constantly discipline them.”

Fisk, who has four children of her own, said there isn’t much that she hasn’t dealt with before.

“I try to set the tone at the beginning of the year — making them feel welcome, loved and respected,” Fisk said. “You have to realize that there are things happening in their lives outside of the classroom that have nothing to do with me or my class. I take a very patient, nurturing approach. Because I think, as teachers, sometimes we’re the only positive role models in their lives. And I take that very, very seriously.”

Fisk's students said that she runs a tight ship.

“She’s not too strict, but everyone knows not to mess around,” Adame said.

“She’s a really enthusiastic teacher,” added Jacqueline Macho, a 17-year-old sophomore. “If you follow the rules, she’s really easygoing and her class is fun. She’s a great teacher — the best I’ve ever had.”

Students often come back to visit with Fisk after they’ve graduated.

“Several students have come back and told me, ‘You’re the only person who encouraged me to go to college.’ A lot of them were just told that they were waiting their time, and they should just go get a job.”

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The New America School's social studies teacher Victoria Fisk works in her classroom. The school borders Main Street which can be clearly seen outside her classroom window.(Photo: Jett Loe / Sun-News)

Extracurricular

Outside of her work in the classroom, Fisk is also committed to helping students as they prepare for college.

“I have taken students to fill out their financial aid paperwork, and have taken them on tours of the campus — just to show them that it’s not this big, scary world, that it’s exciting.”

On the day before their college classes began this year, Fisk invited several of the students who had graduated in May and threw a little pizza party for them at New America School. She paid for it out of her own pocket.

“I knew they were nervous. I reached out to several of them, and the day before they started I had a pizza party, encouraged them, and let them know that I was here for them. Several of them have come back and asked if I could help them, proofreading a paper or looking something over before they turn it in. They come back, and they don’t want to forget who started them on that path,” she said.

Fisk is also the sponsor of the New America School Student Council — which is uniquely committed to community outreach. Five or six times each year, the group feeds the homeless of Las Cruces. They also hold a hygiene drive every year, and consistently collect more than 500 pounds of hygiene products, which they donate to Camp Hope.

This year, a student approached her and asked if she would sponsor a book club. Of course, she agreed. They meet after school on Mondays, and students get to choose the book they read. They just completed their first book, “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini.

Jacqueline Macho is in the book club.

“We just talk about the book, share our point of view and how we can relate to the book,” Jacqueline said. “We always read the same amount, so we don’t get ahead of each other, and we have really good discussions.”

Porter said that she feels lucky to have Fisk teaching her students.

“We are so blessed and lucky to have her here. Our students are the ones who benefit from her energy, her enthusiasm, her love of teaching and learning. We hit the jackpot when she took the job here," Porter said.

Damien Willis can be reached at 575-541-5468 or dawillis@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @damienwillis.